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Günter Grass got persona nongrata by Israel

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  • Günter Grass got persona nongrata by Israel

    German poet Gunter Grass will be barred from entering Israel, Interior Minister Eli Yishai said Sunday, after the Nobel laureate wrote a controversial poem accusing Israel of threatening world peace.


    Günter Grass, 84, germam intellectual, ex-soldat of the 10th SS-Panzer Division Frundsberg (1944-1945), winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 1999

    Yishai said he had declared Grass, 84, a “persona non grata.” The minister used a law allowing the Interior Ministry to bar entry to former Nazis.

    Grass served in the SS at the end of WWII.

    “Grass’s poems are attempts to incite hatred towards the state and the people of Israel, and in doing so, promotes the ideology to which he gave expression when he wore the SS uniform,” said Yishai in a statement. “If he wants to carry on dispersing his warped and hateful works, I propose that he does so in Iran, where they will have a favorable audience.”
    The furor began last week with the publication of Grass’ poem, which chastises Israel for “threatening world peace” and seeking to “annihilate” the Iranian nation. The poem asserts that it is Israel, and not Iran, that threatens world peace with its nuclear program.
    The poem has elicited emotional responses in Israel and Germany, with much of the criticism making note of Grass’ SS service.
    Israel’s foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, weighed in Sunday. “In order to get publicity and sell a few books, he is willing to once again sacrifice the Jews,” Lieberman told reporters.
    Germany’s Foreign Minister also spoke out.
    “To morally equate Israel and Iran isn’t witty, it’s absurd,” Guido Westerwelle wrote in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday.
    “Despite international criticism, Iran is advancing its nuclear program. There are credible reports that point to a military dimension. In contradiction to international law, Iran refuses to cooperate regarding control of its nuclear program. Let it be said to those who don’t want to recognize that: This is not a playground for polemics, ideology and prejudices – this is dead serious,” the German foreign minister wrote.
    Whoever marginalizes the danger posed by a nuclear-armed Iran is refusing to see reality, he added.
    “Nuclear weapons in Iranian hands would be a threat to Israel’s security. For our responsible German foreign policy this is reason for special concern, because Germany has a historic responsibility for the people in Israel,” he wrote.
    While participants in traditional Easter processions on German streets this weekend, known as “peace processions,” expressed support for Grass, many political and cultural figures have slammed the author, accusing him of distorting the facts and of anti-Semitic tendencies.
    Germany’s most famous literary critic, Marcel Reich-Ranciki, called the poem “disgusting.”
    “Iran wants to exterminate Israel, the President [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] announces that again and again, and Gunter Grass writes the opposite,” Reich-Ranicki, who is Jewish, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

    Source :http://www.timesofisrael.com/german-...oem-is-absurd/

    ----------------------------------

    Once again a biased intellectual, a la 68 opened his mouth !
    As the most 1968´s intellectuals it seems he should be blind in the LEFT eye !

  • #2
    A Nazi attacking Israel? - seems pretty consistant. I would assume that Nazi's wouldn't be welcome there.

    WTF - how did this contemptable charactor win a Nobel prize?
    sigpic"If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees.
    If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children."

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    • #3
      These words are well-spoken and to the point-

      "Germany’s Foreign Minister also spoke out.
      “'To morally equate Israel and Iran isn’t witty, it’s absurd,' Guido Westerwelle wrote in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday.

      'Despite international criticism, Iran is advancing its nuclear program. There are credible reports that point to a military dimension. In contradiction to international law, Iran refuses to cooperate regarding control of its nuclear program. Let it be said to those who don’t want to recognize that: This is not a playground for polemics, ideology and prejudices – this is dead serious,' the German foreign minister wrote. Whoever marginalizes the danger posed by a nuclear-armed Iran is refusing to see reality, he added.

      'Nuclear weapons in Iranian hands would be a threat to Israel’s security. For our responsible German foreign policy this is reason for special concern, because Germany has a historic responsibility for the people in Israel,'” he wrote.
      "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
      "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs

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      • #4
        Originally posted by USSWisconsin View Post
        A Nazi attacking Israel? - seems pretty consistant. I would assume that Nazi's wouldn't be welcome there.

        WTF - how did this contemptable charactor win a Nobel prize?
        No, Nazis are already died in Germany.
        Only an old intellectual man has just got political and judgment VERTIGO !

        But was hat irritated me the most from the Easter action of Mr. Grass is the following which appears today on the German press :

        Nazis celebrate Grass !

        Did not he think before, that he could disgrace his country in the world with this action ? Oh, men !

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by S2 View Post
          These words are well-spoken and to the point-
          Those words are form Guido Westerwelle. Any member of the FDP does not get to say anything about Israel, ever, whether positive or negative. See his predecessor Jürgen Möllemann. It's interesting in this context that every single German politician publicly critical of Grass is a FDP member, trying to rescue their capitalist pig party from the abyss at which they're standing politically right now.

          Originally posted by USSWisconsin View Post
          A Nazi attacking Israel? - seems pretty consistant. I would assume that Nazi's wouldn't be welcome there.
          Reading the original poem, it can't even be called anti-zionist, nevermind anti-semitic.

          The Atlantic has published a translation here. The problem is that without the necessary background you can't really understand a lot of it. The first two verses contain pretty strong criticism of Iran - equating the Ayatollah with the Shah. Outside the USA that's a pretty strong insult in case you're wondering. The part with the "annihiliting the Iranian Nation" is a denouncement of nuclear weapons in general. After that he basically alternates between one verse denouncing the dualism of an undeclared nuclear power attacking another one over just that, and one verse denouncing the equation of criticism of Israel = anti-semitism.

          He could have handled it better in my opinion. Less explicit, just openly alluding to it like he did in the poem with the Khomeini = Shah equation. Problem is that then the right-wing sheep he's addressing would have understood even less of it...

          Originally posted by USSWisconsin View Post
          WTF - how did this contemptable charactor win a Nobel prize?
          Günter Grass is one of the most important European writers of the second half of the 20th century period.
          Last edited by kato; 08 Apr 12,, 19:59.

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          • #6
            Originally Posted by USSWisconsin
            WTF - how did this contemptable charactor win a Nobel prize?
            Kato, you answered my question - thank you

            The writer, now 84, spent decades pushing his country to confront its Nazi past, making him a hero to many Germans who share his desire to deal honestly with Germany's complicated and painful history. In 2006, he announced that he had served in Hitler's infamous Waffen SS division. He was 17 years old when the war ended in 1945, but the admission, coming so late, has darkened his previously bright legacy.
            Gunter Grass's Controversial Poem About Israel, Iran, and War, Translated - Heather Horn - International - The Atlantic

            Being a minor at the time, and holding no significant rank - does change things a bit - the SS was an contemptable organization - but Grass's involvement is somewhat more understandable in this context.
            sigpic"If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees.
            If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children."

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by USSWisconsin View Post
              Grass's involvement is somewhat more understandable in this context.
              He served all of 2 months in 10th SS-Panzer-Division btw, as a regular conscript after 3 months basic training - from end of February 1945 to end of April 1945, when the division was routed by the Red Army at Spremberg. After that he and several others managed to evade the Red Army for two weeks fleeing west, to be captured by the Americans.

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              • #8
                Regardless of Grass motivations I'm ambivalent about banning artists (and Grass is an artist, albeit bloody boring when translated into English). Just yesterday I read about eminent British thespians and writers objecting to moves from some others to have an Israeli theatre group banned from the Globe theatre because they'd performed in the West Bank.
                If you can't criticize Israel without being banned from traveling there then Israel has a serious problem.
                In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                Leibniz

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                • #9
                  This is actually a bit of an odd move, considering we let Roger Waters come in and perform, and he has not been an Israeli supporter by a long shot...
                  Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

                  Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

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                  • #10
                    Haaretz has a rather pro-Grass article up today.

                    It also mentions Westerwelle again (of course). One thing that should be made clear in this regard is that the primary anti-Grass campaign in Germany is run by Bild, meaning the Springer press house.
                    Grass is a member of Group 47, Germany's most important postwar center-left writers' collective, whose members have been boycotting Springer since their last meeting in 1967. Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Germany's foremost literary critic (and probably mentioned in the article due to his religion, as sad as that is) was a member of Group 47 too, but never got along with the other members and was always on the verge of being thrown out. Reich-Ranicki and Grass had a grand falling out in 1995, when Reich-Ranicki publicly destroyed Grass' newest book.

                    I find it rather funny that Iran apparently approves of the poem. The second verse calls Khomeini a Maulaffe with jubelnden Untertanen - rather clearly alluding to the Shah, at least for anyone familiar with the term Jubelperser (yeah, gotta be German to understand that).
                    Last edited by kato; 09 Apr 12,, 00:55.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by bigross86 View Post
                      This is actually a bit of an odd move, considering we let Roger Waters come in and perform, and he has not been an Israeli supporter by a long shot...

                      Whats wrong with Roger Waters?

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                      • #12
                        Presumably this.

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                        • #13
                          Not only that. For years he has been against the security fence, a supporter of BDS, and more.
                          Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

                          Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by bigross86 View Post
                            Not only that. For years he has been against the security fence, a supporter of BDS, and more.
                            Don't you have Israelis with same attitudes? What you do with those? Why would Mr. Rogers be an exception?
                            No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

                            To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

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                            • #15
                              Of course we do, but A: They are Israeli citizens that can say whatever they want about Israel, B: Most Israelis are not world famous artists that can reach millions of people to spread their message.

                              Moreover, when you consider that Roger Waters wasn't the exception, he's the norm, I said I found it weird that Mr. Grass was PNG'd.
                              Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

                              Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

                              Comment

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